No. 8 Small police department investigated

By Chris Olwell / The News Herald

Published: Monday, December 24, 2012 at 11:30 AM.

About this series

On Sunday The News Herald began publishing its annual countdown of the top 10 stories of the year. These were the stories editors felt were the most important in Bay County in 2012. The series will end on Jan. 1, 2013, with the top story of the year. On that day, The News Herald also will publish the top 10 stories as ranked by our readers in an online poll. To cast your ballot, visit newsherald.com.

On Sunday The News Herald began publishing its annual countdown of the top 10 stories of the year. These were the stories editors felt were the most important in Bay County in 2012. The series will end on Jan. 1, 2013, with the top story of the year. On that day, The News Herald also will publish the top 10 stories as ranked by our readers in an online poll. To cast your ballot, visit newsherald.com.

10. RESTORE Act passes

9. Schools privatize food services

8. Mexico Beach Police embroiled in scandal

MEXICOBEACH — What a difference a year made for the MexicoBeach Department of Public Safety.

The problems within the department were hinted at in late 2011 when the BayCountySheriff’s Office released a report on its audit of the department suggesting the Police department, which falls under the Department of Public Safety, needed major improvements in policy and procedures, facilities and morale. City leaders discussed disbanding the Police department and contracting with the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement but ultimately gave then-Chief Brad Hall a chance to implement his “get well plan.”

But the scope of the department’s problems didn’t become clear until October, when the BCSO released the results of an investigation that found evidence of misconduct by several members of the department and Hall, who allegedly committed perjury and official misconduct along with numerous department policy violations. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted a simultaneous criminal investigation.

BCSO officials said they hadn’t set out to find law violations but did anyway. Investigators also unraveled widespread problems with the Police department’s criminal evidence control procedures that left evidence vulnerable to loss or theft, which is what had happened. By the time FDLE audited the department’s evidence room, evidentiary items ranging from knives to computers to blood samples to significant quantities of marijuana had inexplicably disappeared.

The report also revealed that Hall hadn’t conducted background checks when he hired friends and family members with inadequate training and felony convictions to join the volunteer fire department. Those firefighters were suspected of billing the city for responses that might not have occurred. Many of them have since left the fire department.

That BCSO investigation resulted in the termination of Cpl. Deborah Everett, while officer Jesse Burkett, who Hall had put in charge of implementing his get well plan, was placed on leave while he was under investigation for separate battery allegations brought by members of the city’s fire department, which also fall under the Department of Public Safety.

The allegations — that Burkett battered the teenage son of a firefighter and a firefighter on separate occasions — proved to be trumped up by firefighters who have since left the department. He was never arrested or charged and has resumed patrols, the investigation showed.

The release of the BCSO’s findings has turned the department upside down. Since the investigations began, at least five members of the fire department and more than half the members of the small police department have left, and Hubbard has instituted a more rigorous vetting procedure for job candidates.

“There’s background checks being conducted on all applicants and we’re abiding by the state’s nepotism laws,” Hubbard said.

Hall — who had not been actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the department since April when the city government gave city administrator Chris Hubbard, authority of the Department of Public Safety — retired a few weeks before the report was released.

Fire Chief Jay Metcalf left the department in November and has been replaced by Kevin Martin. Glenn Norris, who took over the day-to-day operations of the police department in Hall’s absence, has been named chief of police. Both were internal candidates, but neither was implicated in the BCSO report.

Three of the four vacant positions in the police department have been filled, Hubbard said, and the fire department roster is actually larger now than it was when at least five members left in November.

“I guess the silver lining would be, now that the investigation is over, all the problems have been identified and resolved, and we’re able to move forward.”

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